New Pinckneyville hospital hits targets
Construction on the new Pinckneyville Community Hospital is on target for a May 12, 2015 completion date and a late-October dry-in date, said Robins & Morton Superintendent Jimmy Hunter. Dry-in means that the building is enclosed.
There were no days lost to weather in July. Hunter said that the hospital has reached the point that the weather will not shut down the entire site. Until the building is enclosed, some crews may have to stop work in bad weather, but most of the interior work can continue.
As of Wednesday, Aug. 13, 99 percent of the slabs were on grade, 80 percent of the structural steel is up and 98 percent of the site utilities were ready.
The remaining structural steel in B South section, around the main entrance and ER canopies will be completed next week. Fireproofing, drywall and door frames were going up in some sections already.
Hunter hopes to have the lightweight layer for the roof finished in a week and a half. After that, it must cure for a week before the rubber roof can be installed.
By the next OAC meeting, the roof slab should be poured and the exterior brick work should begin.
Grading on the south road was going on Wednesday and rock was expected to be laid on Thursday. Hunter is planning to pour the concrete for the helipad, surrounding loop and all many other areas as possible before October.
In other business, those gathered discussed:
• the drainage issues at Ray and Jane Cheek's property next to the hospital construction site on the corner of White Walnut Road and Route 154. After a four-inch rain last month, video and still pictures of the drainage apparatus in place were taken. Rain drains into a collection pond, slows, then is moved out through drainage ditches. The video and pictures taken early in the morning show no standing water in Cheek's yard. The rain stopped about 3 a.m. Hunter said Ray Cheek still wasn't satisfied and told him there was standing water in the yard while the rain was still coming down. The board asked Hunter to continue to monitor the situation and to take pictures and/or video during rainfall if necessary. The consensus was that the drainage in place is working as intended.
• potential change orders on the project. There was a change order from the last meeting which included adding two conduits to serve the oxygen park, a change to the radio tower location on the roof and savings from lowering the ceiling a corridor for a total cost of $3,570. The next change order will include vacuum and oxygen for oncology, a drain at the loading dock, a roof hoist, changes to the conference room to make another office and electrical changes for a total cost of $39,943. All of the potential changes for the next change order have been previously discussed.
• the move from the current facility to the new facility. Hospital Administrator Tom Hudgins said the dietary, imaging and lab departments have already begun planning their move. The other departments will begin planning in September. Hudgins said he has been through two such moves in the past. One went like clockwork and the other was a disaster. Creating a plan early-on then sticking to it will allow PCH to avoid a disaster.